By: Qadi Muhammad Mansurpuri
There is a large collection of the Prophet's ideas, thoughts,
instructions, teachings, beliefs, morals, manners and principles. The greatness
and glory of Islam rests upon these ideals. Only a portion of them are
listed here.
Purity of Self
1. Wise is he who regards himself small, and performs deeds that are
useful after death; foolish is he who is controlled by his desires and
expectant of Allah's grace and mercy.
2. The strong man is he who controls himself, not the one who throws
down his adversary.
3. Contentment is treasure that is never empty.
4. To give up the unimportant is highly religious.
5. Advice is a trust and wrong instruction is a breach of trust.
6. To give up evil or wickedness is also a charity.
7. Modesty is a branch of faith.
8. Health and comforts are blessings not available to all.
9. Moderation in spending is equal to half of one's income. (Spending
with sense is as good as half of one's income).
10. Careful thinking is wisdom.
11. The one who keeps promises is righteous.
12. Wisdom is the greatest wealth.
13. Good speech is the charm of man.
14. Ignorance is the greatest limitation.
15. One who is trustworthy is righteous.
16. Love is not as effective as good manners.
17. Humility elevates one's position.
18. Alms-giving does not lead to decrease of wealth.
19. Don't mock at your brother or you might meet the same situation.
20. Bad manners spoil good qualities as vinegar spoils honey.
Obedience to Parents
1. Allah is pleased when the father is pleased. Allah is displeased
when the father is displeased.
2. Of all the deeds performed, offering prayers on time is the best,
and then the second in importance is obedience to parents.
3. The greatest sins are polytheism, disobedience to parents, giving
false evidences and telling lies.
Behaviour with Relatives
"Kinship"[ in Arabic- rahim] is derived from "The Most Beneficent" [in
Arabic- rahman]. The man who maintains the bonds of kinship is close to
Allah and one who severs relations with his kin is forsaken by Allah.
Bringing up Daughters
1. One who raises and educates three or two daughters or sisters, out
of fear of Allah, will go to Paradise (even if the number is one).
2. Bringing up daughters is a test; one who passes the test will be
safe from Hell.
Bringing up Orphans
One who brings up orphans will be with me (the Prophet [Sallallahu
Alayhi Wa Sallam (SAWS) / peace be upon him] like the two fingers of a hand
(in the Hereafter).
Obedience to Rulers
1. The ruler should be obeyed on the earth.
2. Even if a slave happens to become your ruler, you must obey him.
3. Kingdom is lost not through disbelief, but through tyranny.
Kindness
One who is not merciful and kind cannot expect mercy upon him.
Evils of Begging
1. One who begs is collecting fire (of Hell) for himself, whether it is
small or great.
2. The worst person is he who begs in the Name of Allah and still gets
nothing. Don't beg from men for Allah's sake. It is better to demand
from Allah Himself.
Cooperation
1. Those who are not kind to the young and do not respect the elders,
do not belong to us.
2. Be kind to people on the earth and Allah will be Merciful in Heaven.
3. In friendliness and sympathy, the Muslims are like a building in
which the bricks strengthen one another.
4. To meet cheerfully, to talk about virtues, to prevent people from
vices and villainy, to show the right path to those who have lost the
way, to lead weak-sighted persons on the way, to remove thorns, stones,
and bones from paths and to draw water from wells for others, are all
deeds of virtue.
5. To greet and feed the poor, and to say prayers alone at night are
the good signs of Islam.
6. Only courteous men will be close and dear to me on the Day of
Judgement. I shall be disgusted and distant from those who are not
well-behaved. I am also sick of those who talk nonsense, discuss things
irresponsibly and are proud.
7. To live comfortably is not arrogance. Arrogance is to despise the
people and to reject the truth.
8. Love all; in it is half of wisdom.
9. Don't behave well only when others behave well and to mischief if
others do mischief. Instead, try to behave well with those who behave
well with you and do not create mischief if they do likewise.
The Greatness of Learning
1. One who seeks knowledge finds the road to Paradise easier.
2. Knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.
3. Quest for learning is atonement for past sins.
4. Learning is greater than devotion and optional prayer in importance.
5. Knowledge and wisdom are your lost treasures; seek them wherever
they are.
6. He who conceals his knowledge will be chained with fire.
7. Nothing in the world is better than the collecting of knowledge and
patience.
Treatment of Slaves, Women Servants and Attendants
1. Men slaves and women slaves are like your brothers and sisters.
Allah has kept them under your supervision. Equal treatment is to be given
to them in food and clothing. They should not be asked to bear more
than their strength and capacity. In difficult tasks they should be given
assistance and support.
2. To liberate men slaves or women slaves is to get liberated from
Hell.
From:The Last of the Prophets
Giving without reserve
ReplyDeleteIt is with reticence that I write this. I do not wish to place myself on the moral high ground or to sermonise anyone. This chapter tries to show the truth and importance of dreaming of our Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam). These words seek to confirm that ours is a Prophet of Mercy, a Witness, and a Bearer of Good Tidings. It also aims to portray the consequence of du’aa in the Masjid al-Haram. It is moreover meant as a method of encouragement for our children to some day continue with the Prophetic Tradition of raising an orphan for the sake of Allah, The One of Unbounded Grace. So that they may by this means know that there is more to life than just prayer and fasting. And that they should give of themselves unreservedly. That they might through it also, temper their adhkaar with compassion.
We were asleep at the Mashrabiyya Hotel in Khalid bin Walid Street in Shubayka, Makkah al-Mukarramah when, by the Mercy of Allah, I had the most beautiful dream. I saw myself standing in the holy presence of our Truthful Prophet Muhammad (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam). Our Prophet (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam) was spotlessly dressed in white robes and a white turban. I stared aghast. Our Prophet (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam) stood about two meters away and faced me directly. I do not have the words with which to suitably portray this most wonderful man, the Seal of the Prophets (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam). I have never seen anyone so unimaginably holy, so indescribably handsome. I reached for my turban, embarrassed for not wearing it. “Leave it,” I said to myself. “You are in the Company of the Prize of creation.” A brilliance shone from our Guided Prophet (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam). Our Prophet (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam) smiled at me. The smile radiated light. I stood alert, too humbled to speak. I wished that the dream would last forever. The heavenly smile lasted between ten and fifteen minutes, it felt like.
Alhamdu-lillaah. I had never considered myself deserving of such an enormous honour. “What does that smile mean?” I asked myself over and over again.
Part of my da'waat in the Holy Mosque in Mecca, was to ask Allah, The One Who Makes Clear to us His signs so that we may be grateful, to Grant to ourselves the opportunity and blessings of raising an orphan for His sake.
My wife and I had, over a number of years, tried to adopt a baby by applying at several local agencies, and were given all sorts of excuses which disqualified, and sometimes discouraged us. Reasons given were that we were not married according to South African law, that few babies from local Muslim parents came up for adoption, and the fact that we have children of our own. We were also faced with, what was to my mind, the worse aspect of the South African race laws. These regulations and those administering it, in this case, the social workers, prescribed that a ‘brown’ orphaned child had to be matched with ‘brown’ adoptive parents. A ‘yellow’ baby could only be placed with prospective ‘yellow’ adoptive parents, a ‘white’ orphan could not be raised by ‘black’ adoptive parents, and so on. They played dominoes with human lives. Some social workers were more ready to read the ‘race act’ than others. In an interview and in response to a question on whether we would mind adopting a child from a 'lower rung' of the colour scale, I told them that “a nice green one would do.” A jab to my ribs from my wife quickly halted the acid flow down the sides of my mouth. Stirring the ire of our then masters by criticising their political beliefs would not help, she meant. “When the white boss tells a joke, and regardless of its lack of humour – laugh!” she chided me later. Race inequalities existing at the time ensured that hundreds of black orphans went begging in more ways than one. It virtually excluded us from adopting a child. No orphans that matched our race and blood mix were on offer and they weren’t likely to easily present themselves for adoption, we were told. My wife is of Indian (as in “Indian” from India, as opposed to “American” Indian) stock and I am of (well) mixed blood.
On the morning of Wednesday, 1st June 1994, just three days after arriving back home from Haj, we received a telephone call from Melanie Van Emmenes of the Child Welfare Society. She explained that a five-month old girl had come up for adoption. The baby had earlier undergone successful abdominal surgery and she asked whether we would adopt the child. We jumped at the chance.
A rush of adrenaline replaced the after-effects of travel. We were re-energised. Capetonians usually visit local pilgrims before departure and also on their arrival back home. We excused ourselves from the few visitors and asked my mother-in-law to host them in our absence. My wife and I immediately went to the Adoption Centre in Eden Road, Claremont. We signed the necessary papers.
Afterwards, we told our children that we were about to receive an addition to the family. We plodded through a maze of red tape in order to legalise the process. (My wife and I had to marry in court because Muslim marriages were not recognised then, believe it or not). A few days later, my wife, brother and I collected the petite infant from a foster-mother in Newfields Estate. I shall never forget the joyous feeling when I first carried the frail waif past the front door. Her name is Makkia. We named her after the great city from which we had just returned.
Taking her into our home is one of the better things that we have done. Makkia has added a marvellous dimension to our lives. She is part of our life’s work. I shall always be grateful to the people who had assisted us with the adoption.
The meaning behind the glowing smile from our Trustworthy Prophet Muhammad (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam) had played itself out in the most delightful way. In Our Prophet (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam) we have a beautiful pattern of conduct. Like a lamp that spreads light, the Messenger of Allah (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam) invites to the Grace of Allah by His leave. Weighing any other form of creation against our Prophet Muhammad (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam) is a fruitless exercise, I have come to realise. How should I express gratitude to the Holy Messenger of Allah (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam) for his kind intervention? I am unworthy of untying the laces of our Prophet’s sandals.
Allah, The One Who Is Sufficient For those who put their trust in Him, Had Granted our want through the barakah of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (sallal-laahu 'alay-hi wa-sallam).
For the most part I’ve been fairly constant about wearing a turban during ’ibaadah since.